Friday, March 4, 2011

Can sinners work miracles?, On the Gospel for the 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Christ before Caiaphas, who prophesied the Redemption

9th Sunday in
Ordinary Time, Matthew 7:21-27

Many will say to me on that
day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons
in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?” Then I will declare to
them solemnly, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.”

When
we consider the words of Christ, it appears that even sinners can work
miracles. Yet, how can this be? Miracles are worked through prayers, and God
does not hear the prayers of sinners. Here we will offer a short reflection on
this one aspect of the Sunday Gospel, relying on St. Thomas as our teacher and
guide (cf. Vatican II, Optatum Totius
16).

Gratia
gratum faciens and gratiae
gratis datae

In
the supernatural organism, the interior life of the soul, we find that created
grace may be divided into two parts: First there is grace which is given to
make us holy as something good within us (gratia
gratum faciens), then there are graces which are given to the benefit of
others and which do not make us holy nor add something good within us (gratiae gratis datae). Among the first
graces are the theological virtues, the other infused virtues, and the gifts of
the Holy Spirit. Among the second graces are the charisms: prophecy, miracles,
and others. (see ST I-II, q.111)

We
must understand that the charisms can be given even to those who are not holy –
for so the Lord bestowed the gift of prophecy upon Balaam, that he might
proclaim the coming of the Messiah from afar. Likewise, Caiaphas prophesied in
truth that Christ should expiate the sins of all through his death.

For,
while the virtues and the gifts are habitual realities present in the soul, making
the man to be pleasing to God; the charisms are as water passing through an aqueduct.
No man in mortal sin possesses any of the gifts (for he is not pleasing to God),
but even a sinner may be used as a conduit – thus charisms may operate in him. (see
ST II-II, q.178)

Can sinners work miracles
to confirm false doctrines?

If
we recognize that even sinners can work miracles prophecy, we question whether
they may use these charisms to teach falsely. On this point, St. Thomas: “Miracles
are always true witnesses to the purpose for which they are wrought. Hence
wicked men who teach a false doctrine never work true miracles in confirmation
of their teaching, although sometimes they may do so in praise of Christ's name
which they invoke, and by the power of the sacraments which they administer. If
they teach a true doctrine, sometimes they work true miracles as confirming
their teaching, but not as an attestation of holiness. Hence Augustine says
(QQ. lxxxiii, qu. 79): "Magicians work miracles in one way, good
Christians in another, wicked Christians in another. Magicians by private
compact with the demons, good Christians by their manifest righteousness, evil
Christians by the outward signs of righteousness."” (ST II-II, q.178, a.2,
ad 3)

Fr.
Cornelius a’ Lapide speaks to the matter more fully: “S. Jerome says, “To work
miracles is sometimes not because of his goodness who works them: but it is the
invocation of the name of Christ which performs them for the good of others.”
Whence S. Gregory collects (lib. 20, Moral. 8): “The proof of sanctity is not
the performance of miracles, but to love one’s neighbour as oneself, and to
think of God what is true, and to think better of one’s neighbour than of
oneself.”

“Observe,
although impious and false teachers may, by the gift of God, prophesy and work
miracles, yet they cannot do this for the confirmation of false doctrine. For a
miracle, even a solitary one, so long as it is real and plain, is not only a
probable, but a morally certain proof of true doctrine, whence Christ and the
Apostles use it as an inviolable argument for proving the Christian faith. Nor
do we ever read of a miracle being wrought in confirmation of heresy or error.
And à priori reasoning shows this. For a miracle is a singular and supernatural
operation of God alone, by which, as by His own seal, God attests the right
faith and truth, wherefore if God should hearken to a false teacher calling
upon Him to confirm his error by a miracle, He would seem to co-operate with
him, and attest his error, and by consequence, lie and deceive, which is
impossible. […] For other things are common to God, with angels, and devils.
Wherefore in them it is doubtful whether God, or an angel, or the devil speaks
and works. […]

“Let
us observe, however, here, that if the gift of miracles has been given to any
one by God for any reason, as an abiding habit, or condition, such a one may
afterwards abuse the gift, and work the miracle for an evil end, such, for
example, as vain glory, gain, or the confirmation of what is false. For in such
a case God concurs indeed with the miracle itself but not with the abuse of it,
or with the evil object of him who works it. For this He only permits. […]
Still it appertains to the providence of God not to allow an impious man to
abuse the grace of miracles to deceive others so as to lead them into heresy,
if this misuse should be entirely hidden from them. […] In the case of those
whom the common people call Saviours, even when they are of evil life, it is
plain, says Navarrus in his Manuale, that the gift of curing diseases has been
given them by God for the common good of the Church, and that they can abuse
this gift for evil purposes. […] Wherefore if any should use this power for
evil, we can see that it is the man who is abusing his gift, not God who is
co-operating with him for evil. […]

“At
any rate up to the present time there is no case on record in which it can be
shown that any one who had even the habitual gift, has wrought a miracle for
the confirmation of heresy, or false doctrine, unless we choose to allow that
Calvin, pretending in confirmation of his heresy to raise a supposed dead man
to life, who was really alive, God, to punish the deceit, caused the man to
die. But all such miracles, as it were indications of perfidy, condemn heresy
and confirm the true faith.”

Nick, you are correct...I had intended to expound on that point more fully...as you can see, the whole point of the post is that sinners can indeed work miracles.

However, when one who is in the state of grace prays, his prayers are heard as coming from a friend of God -- his prayers are meritorious.

When a man in mortal sin (a sinner) prays, his prayers are not in any way meritorious, for he is not a friend of God. Nevertheless, the prayer of simply abject begging is heard -- not by virtue of any good in the man, but by virtue of the Lord's generosity...

"Nick, you are correct...I had intended to expound on that point more fully...as you can see, the whole point of the post is that sinners can indeed work miracles.

However, when one who is in the state of grace prays, his prayers are heard as coming from a friend of God -- his prayers are meritorious.

When a man in mortal sin (a sinner) prays, his prayers are not in any way meritorious, for he is not a friend of God. Nevertheless, the prayer of simply abject begging is heard -- not by virtue of any good in the man, but by virtue of the Lord's generosity...

I hope that makes sense. Peace! +"

Yes, I think St. John said something like that in one of his epistles.

It's amazing how generous God is, and how important it is to stay away from sin.

Remember the last line of Bernstein's the Mass...I never knew that broken glass could shine so brightly. God's glory, love and power are manifested daily through the weak, the outcasts, those who hold beliefs even contrary to ours. As I live through these many years and reflect back, it precisely through 'sinners' (who are we to konw and judge) that so much of God is revealed. We are all already broken (God spare us from breaking ourselves or each other). Ad thank goodness for the brokenness, or broken pieces have many facets, many ways for God to shine though our brokenness to our fellow human beings, as light through gem facets radiates out in myraid ways.